Metal News for January 21, 2011

We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.

38 news articles posted on this day.

Italian progressive metal band Twinspirits will return with their third album, “Legacy,” on February 18, 2011 via Lion Music. “Legacy” marks the second album of vocalist Göran Nyström in the band. You can stream the album here.

On the albums lyrical slant Liverani comments, “Lyrically the first 6 songs are independent to the suite, and are cover subject, including personal experiences, thoughts about life in this era, and different kind of reflections of human beings into this modern world we are living in”.

“The second part, the suite, is covering a concept story that runs through a journey that the main character is undertaking after a premature death, whereby he’s discovering a role that he's involved in after he passes away, and the meeting with a superior entity that is giving him a sort of second chance to get back to the human life to accomplish a human rescue mission as a second millennium messiah...a very struggling story that will be revealed part by part of “the endless sleep” 30 min. suite. The key points of the concept are in part “I'm leaving this world” where the main character describes the moment he passes away and his extra body experience, the song “Legacy” where we have the relationship between him and the superior entity that is explaining his new role in the afterlife, the songs “what am I supposed to do” is a very moving moment where he meets his parents while he's back to human life temporary, and the final part “tell me the truth” continues the description of the relationship of the main character with his afterlife guide mentor.”

Twinspirits will be getting back on the road in spring 2011 promoting the new album with a tour and some European festival appearances.

The band recently released a music video for ”Slave To This World,” which can be seen below:

Circus Maximus has issued the following announcement about putting together a "rockumnetary" detailing the recording of the band's new album:

"Rockumentary! As a part of Circus Maximus' upcoming studio album/recording/release, the band is proud to announce, in collaboration with producer/soundengineer Sven Erik Nordset, the making of a documentary about the band.

"Be a fly on the wall during recordings, launching the album, rehearsals, touring and other cool stuff, as we embark on a new exciting chapter in CM history! Stay tuned for more news on this project and more!"

It's been more than a year since our last chat with vocalist Helmuth of Belphegor, and in that time the band has since finished another album filled to the brim with blood, sex, and magic. The latest act of blasphemy from the Austrian band, titled "Blood Magick Necromance" (reviewed here), is already out in Europe and hits stores in North America on February 8th, 2011 through Nuclear Blast Records. Helmuth spoke with Metalunderground.com again to explain the recording of the depraved album and the shooting of recently released video, which has all the gore and Satanic themes a fan of the blackened death metal act could ever want. More...

Psychometry has posted a guitar instructional video online for the song "Over the Son," which can be viewed below. The band also commented:

"For all of you fans out there who play guitar we are going to be posting videos to demonstrate how many of Pyschometry's songs are played. This first installment features Justin Doan playing the first guitar part of Over the Son. By doing this we hope to show the various techniques and writing styles of the project throughout the course of Psychometry's history."

Vocalist Joacim Cans and guitarist Oscar Dronjak of the Swedish heavy metal band Hammerfall will be available for a live, in-studio chat with their fans on Saturday, January 22nd, 2011 beginning at 9 a.m. PACIFIC / 12 noon EASTERN / 6 p.m. CET. The online event will take place at the Nuclear Blast Streaming Room at this location.

Having teamed up with producer James Michael (Mötley Crüe, Scorpions, SIXX:AM, Meat Loaf), Hammerfall members are now in Nashville, Tennessee recording the follow-up album to 2009’s "No Sacrifice, No Victory," which debuted at #38 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The as-yet-untitled new release will be available in Europe on May 20th. A summer release date in North America is expected.

You can also view Hammerfall's latest video blog featuring Joacim Cans and James Michael at this location.

Portland, Oregon's Across The Sun recorded the band's Metal Blade Records debut album, "Before The Night Takes Us," with producer Daniel Castleman at Lambesis Studios in San Diego, CA. Vocalist Brandon Davis commented, "It was an amazing learning experience; no previous Across The Sun recording process has ever been this in depth. The individual performances are better than any previous Across The Sun release."

Guitarist Sam Hafer emphasizes, "This record takes everything that Across The Sun was and expands it; the musicianship, the tonal palette, the dynamics and song structure were all things we pushed into new and challenging territory. The result is the greatest body of music we have produced to date."

Fans can now get a taste of the album via the band's Facebook page here. "Before The Night Takes Us" will be available on March 15th, 2011 in North America.

The track listing is as follows:

1. Tipping The Scales2. Song for the Hopeless3. Seasons4. Descent & Discovery5. Ghost of Grandeur6. Before the Night Takes Us7. A Moment of Clarity8. Blessing in Disguise9. In the Face of Adversity10. Belay My Judgment

Immolation has been announced as the latest confirmed act for the upcoming Scion Rock Festival, which is set to take place on March 5th in Pomona, California. Additional details on the festival can be found at this location. The other announced bands are as follows:

Rotten Sound has posted the first preview track, titled "Plan," from the band's forthcoming album "Cursed" online now via the group's MySpace page. "Cursed" will see its worldwide (excluding Finland) release on March 15th via Relapse Records on CD, LP and digitally. The album, which is a follow-up to 2008's "Cycles," was recorded at Nordic Audio Labs. Rotten Sound also has the following upcoming tour dates

Of The Archaengel has checked in with the following statement about the band's new album:

"The long awaited album 'The Extraphysicallia' from Of The Archaengel was finally released on European soil, and will soon be available also in Brazil. The material had its mastering in the renowned studio The Cutting Room (Amon Amarth, Opeth, Gorgoroth, Pain, Paradise Lost, Chrome Division, etc.) in Sweden, with 9 songs, one of them involving the guest appearance of Sakis Tolis (ROTTING CHRIST).

“The Extraphysicallia’ is a concept album. Sounds like the soundtrack to a movie where you can hear in every track the evolution of a story, and further details can be perceived at each listening."

The album's track listing is as follows:

1. Black Raven2. Water Flows Through The Slimy Walls3. Ascending Coils To Lead4. Platino5. Sun Shaped Archangel6. With the Dragon's Hand7. The Silence of the Dead Things8. Consent to the Devilish Fantasies9. Leaving the Inebriant Well.

On Monday, January 17th, Swedish black metal act Watain took home the "Best Hard Rock" award for the "Lawless Darkness" album at Sweden's annual Grammis ceremony (the Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Awards).

Comments front man Erik Danielsson: "I always pictured the criteria for entering the Grammy awards to be those of mainstream music in general; conformity, insipidity and commercial potential. In other words, I was quite surprised when we even got nominated. But considering all the blood, sweat and tears we have put into this, our life's mission, during the past 13 years, it is by all means an award well deserved. And no matter what the parameters were by which the jury made their decision, the Devil won again!

"Even if this music genre will always be one with adversity and wild hearted insanity as it's very roots," he continues, "the artistic value must be acknowledged not only on an underground level but in any cultural circumstance, high or low. Acknowledged I say, not necessarily appreciated. And in a country like Sweden it is about fucking time, for here it has been neglected and stupefied by the mass media for years, while legends such as Dissection and Bathory have been writing and releasing some of the most monumental albums in music history. The Grammy that we have won with Watain is a step towards rectification in that matter, and a sign that the artistry and infernal creativity that permeates Watain and this genre is being taken seriously. For that we are proud and delighted in accepting the award. As for it's market-value or importance in a "music industry context," we sincerely could not care less."

The "Lawless Darkness" album was released via Season Of Mist on June 7th and was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist, Ondskapt et al) in Alvik, Sweden.

Irish pagan metallers Primordial will reissue their "Storm Before Calm" album on February 11th/14th in Europe. The original album will be released as a remastered version in a double digipak with new artwork. The package will also contain the bonus DVD "Live at Summer Breeze 2004."

Comments Primordial singer A.A. Nemtheanga: "Storm before calm is the album in many respects the album that got away. The label at the time was shipping water and about to go under and despite the positive press the impact made was far less than previous album 'Spirit the earth aflame.' Everything somehow seemed like an afterthought, the artwork was not what we had in mind and something we always regretted. Halfway through the recording the plug was almost pulled by the studio, no money had come through to pay the deposit. It was only for the understanding of engineer Mags and the owners that we were allowed to continue and 'Storm' even existed at all.

"One thing looking back that doesn't seem like such an afterthought to me is the songs. We may have been grappling with Pro Tools, what was a new concept and technology for us that perhaps took some of the rich edge of the music but they still sound strong. Opener 'Heretics Age' hit harder than anything we had done before to the W.B Yeats poem 'Hosting of the Sidhe' which did the great mans words justice 'Storm' is a strong album that perhaps never quite got the respect nor attention it deserved from either the press or fans. However it's with great pleasure we can re-release the album with proper and revised artwork, give the music a small but faithful re-master and as a bonus disc our performance at Summer Breeze in 2004. It's obvious we had yet to learn our trade playing on big stages but it's an interesting snapshot of the band from the 'Storm' period. Enjoy!"

The track listing for "Storm Before Calm" is as follows:

1. The Heretic Age2. Fallen To Ruin3. Cast To The Pyre4. Suns First Rays5. What Sleeps Within6. Hosting Of The Sidhe7. Sons Of The Morrigan More...

Metal Blade Records has issued the following announcement about releasing a new album from Assaulter:

"With the guard of S. Berserker on vocals and guitars, T. Hellfinder armed with the ripping of strings on lead guitar and the out-and-out power and precision of P. Hunt (Razor of Occam) on the battering of the skins - Assaulter have just completed their devastating sophomore LP 'Boundless.' Following up from 2008’s 'Salvation Like Destruction', Assaulter have honed in their sound and style to deliver 8 cuts of ripping metal ode to power, propaganda and proselytism."

You can listen to three songs off "Boundless" at this location. The album will be released as a digipak CD by Alan Nemtheanga's Poison Tongue Records through Metal Blade Records on March 11th/14th.

The track listing is as follows:

1. Entrance2. Outshine3. Into Submission4. Slave to King5. The Perpetual War6. Exalt the Master7. Dying Day8. The Great Subterfuge

New York City based extreme metal act Dimentianon, after a slight break from public appearance, has recently revamped the band's lineup and is again booking live appearances for the coming months.

The band's first confirmed appearance for 2011 will see the group taking part in a Saturday night show at Brooklyn's The Acheron alongside a collective of other tri-state-based underground metal outfits including Horrifier, Sacrificial Blood, Cain and Brohammer on February 26th. More live action will be announced in the coming months.

Dimentianon also released a new album last year titled "Collapse The Void." Details on the release can be found here.

Massachusetts’ metalcore act Within the Ruins has teamed up MetalSucks.net to post a live performance of the song “Red Flagged," from the band's latest album, "Invade." You can check out the clip at this location.

Metal fans looking for a little weekend head banging should pull out the drum sticks and unwrap the guitar cords because there's a storm of metal hitting the Rock Band Network. The Xbox 360 edition now has new tracks from Daath, Dirge Within, Kataklysm, Nachtmystium, Amberian Dawn, August Burns Red, Evile, Haste the Day, After the Burial, and Decrepit Birth. The complete list of newly added tracks, including the non-metal songs, is as follows:

Pomona, California thrashers Bonded By Blood are teaming up with Lazarus A.D. for a co-headlining European tour, which kicks off on March 9th in London, UK. You can view the European tour flyer at this location. Bonded By Blood bassist Jerry Garcia comments:

"We're excited by the announcement of our much anticipated and requested co-headlining European tour with Lazarus A.D. in March. We love touring Europe and we hope to see many old and new faces this time around."

"Thales is a young self-taught bassist lover of black metal and very good technically, very imaginative in the arrangement is above the bass and solo. Dayana is an 'old' friend that finally, after much haggling, decided to join the band itself as the new lead singer.

"Gianluca is a keyboardist with many years of experience in asset Italian bands who proposed various musical genres (from reggae to black metal, to piano music, etc..) And this makes a very versatile musician.

"In the meantime, we immediately set to work to improve both the old songs for implementation of new ideas ... and certainly not lacking! We decided to add some covers also to be presented from time to time during future gigs with the hope that it will be to your liking. We thank all our fans for their friendship over the years and demonstrated their support even in difficult times."€

Warrior Soul has issued the following brief announcement about re-issuing several albums as limited edition vinyl versions:

"Warrior Soul vinyl re-issues! White vinyl versions of Last Decade Dead Century, Salutations from the Ghetto Nation and Drugs, God and the New Republic now available on Livewire/Cargo. Limited Edition of 500. Release date 24th Jan 2011."

Power Quest has checked in with the following announcement about upcoming tour dates:

"Power Quest can now confirm that they will be returning to Prestatyn, North Wales on Saturday 19th March 2011 for Hammerfest III, they will be sharing the stage with Biohazard, Satyricon and Sabaton amongst others. Power Quest are pleased to announce this year's UK dates with a headliner tour in May promoting their eagerly anticipated new release Blood Alliance. The band will be showcasing a handful of new tracks in London, Derby, Manchester and Glasgow.

"We are really excited to hit the road again, it’s been way too long for our UK fans and we finally return to Glasgow as well! The demand was so high, we couldn’t miss that. And we are also working on a few European dates. So - 2011 will see a lot of us, that’s for sure!

"Blood Alliance will be released in Japan on 26th January but Steve and the rest of the band wanted everyone to have the opportunity to hear a track from the new album, so we have an exclusive play of ‘Survive’ on the 'Get Ready to Rock' show with David Randall this Sunday 23rd January at 10pm (GMT) at this location. ‘SURVIVE’ will also be available for fans to stream at our MySpace from Monday, 24th January 7pm (GMT).

Into Darkness has issued the following announcement about upcoming European tour dates:

"Hell dear Into Darkness fans, promoters, metalheads! We're touring again after more than 10 years! Just a leg of the NERVOCHAOS Tour but hey that's awesome! But we need to fill some dates still, so if you have contacts or ideas please get in touch with us!"

Chicago based multinational extreme metal act Against the Plagues has released footage from the band's recent studio sessions for the follow up to the debut release “Decoding the Mainframe." The footage can be viewed below. Recording is currently taking place at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin with producer Chris Djuricic. Release for the as-yet-untitled album is tentatively set for late Spring/early Summer 2011.

States the band, "We are very excited about this new release as we are taking every measure to make sure this effort surpasses our last in every way possible. The songs are definitely more intense and complex, but at the same time more memorable, catchy, and dynamic. As of now, all guitars, drums, bass, and solos are done; next up are keyboards and vocals. We have really concentrated on this material for the past year to make sure that it is the absolute best possible. Fans of the band will not be disappointed! Samples of the new tracks will be posted on our website as soon as they are finalized. Thanks for your patience and your support. We will continue to post more footage as the process continues."

Bristol based crust punk/extreme metal veterans Amebix has announced that the name of their brand new studio album, their first since 1987, will be, "Sonic Mass." The record will be released on September 20th through Alternative Tentacles Records. Stay tuned for further information.

UK progressive/industrial metal band Biomortal have released their debut video for the song "Letter" from their forthcoming album, "Genesynthesis."

The promo was directed by the brains behind Napalm Death's 'On The Brink Of Extinction' video, Daniel Brand from Neskin Industries.

"'It was filmed in a chalk quarry in Cambridge," guitarist Paul Theobald states, "We brought a generator along with us to power the PA so we could mime along to the track but despite several successful tests before we left, it decided to not work the second we got to the location. 'We ended up miming to the drummer while he played along to the track with headphones via his mp3 player."

Swedish heavy metal band MALISON ROGUE has announced their signing to Inner Wound Recordings. The bands self-titled debut album was produced by Mats Levén [ex. Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Treat] and mastered by Micke Lind [Dio, Candlemass, Talisman] and will be released in Europe on March 25th.

The Malison Rogue sound can be described as a mix between Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning.

The "Malison Rogue" tracklisting is as follows:

01. Friend or Foe?02. The Pain You Cause03. The Griever04. My Mistakes05. This Lonely Road06. Scars07. We’re All Born Sinners08. Everything Fades

American metalcore act Darkest Hour has posted some behind the scenes footage from the studio online. The band is preparing to release its new album, titled "The Human Romance," on February 22, 2011 through E1 Entertainment. You can view the short teaser clip below:

Canadian hardcore punk act Comeback Kid has revealed the dates for its forthcoming tour of Eastern Canada. Support on the trek will come from The Carrier and Title Fight. You can view the full list of dates, cities and venues below:

American deathcore act Emmure has posted its new single online taken from its forthcoming studio album. The new album, titled "Speaker of the Dead," is set for release on February 15, 2011 through Victory Records. You can check out the first single, "Demons With Ryu," below:

Chicago-based progressive metal act Born of Osiris has announced that it will release its third full-length album, titled "The Discovery," on March 22, 2011 through Sumerian Records. The new album was recorded at BOTA Studio in Lake In The Hills, Illinois and was mixed by Jason Suecof.

In recent news, it has been announced that Born of Osiris will be co-headlining the forthcoming "Atticus Metal Tour." They will be performing alongside co-headliners Darkest Hour and support acts The Human Abstract and As Blood Runs Black. You can view the list of tour dates below:

Cavalera Conspiracy has posted some new interview/studio footage online. The band is preparing to release its new album "Blunt Force Trauma" on March 29 through Roadrunner Records. You can view the video below:

"Jetpacks Was Yes," the new music video from American progressive metal act Periphery, has been posted online. The song is taken from the band's self-titled debut album and was produced by Eric Haviv, Richard Webb, and Brandon Morris of FUGO Studios. You can view the video below:

Scrape Records has announced that British symphonic metal act Cradle of Filth will be taking part in an exclusive signing session on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at Scrape Records in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The band will be performing in the city later that night alongside Nachtmystium and Turisas. Scrape Records commented on the signing by saying: "Bring your crap to get signed and bring your cameras!! FREE EVENT!!"